Another old milestone ticked off my list……..

Well after that emotional start to the day, which you read about yesterday, what more could I fill my day with? I related the whole story to Sarah over breakfast and could see the tears well up in her eyes as they had done in mine an hour before…..the emotion of that moment will never go…..

I was on such a high but needed to land back in the now. We decided we would climb Latrigg, another favourite walk of mine and Sylvias. When we first did this walk I’d just come out of hospital after an operation to remove my appendix (which turned out to be perfectly healthy, but that’s another story 🤣)…..for some unknown reason, I agreed to Sylvia having the map and directing us, even though I knew she had no sense of direction 😳🙈…we never did find the summit as, just before it would have appeared on the horizon, Sylvia decided we were lost and had to slide down on our bums towards the lights of Keswick through the wood 🤣…to say our stomachs ached from all the laughing was an understatement and that didn’t do my wound any good either 😂…..I never allowed Sylvia to take charge of any map after that 🤣

Anyway, back to mine and Sarah’s attempt. I wanted to climb this again but had never known where to start when I’d been on my own, so thought, if Sarahs with me, it might help jog my memory as I’d done it as many times as Walla Crag in the past….I’d found a yellow map just for the occasion 

“With your back to Moot Hall”….as all the yellow maps start….we set off. Sarah had done it before but noticed the map was taking us anti clockwise instead of clockwise. We crossed the River Greta in town and headed towards the railway walk as our starting point

The summer crowds had long gone and just a few hardy souls like ourselves were out and about. The weather app had said it was going to be dull all day so it was a lovely surprise to be walking in the sunshine

As we turned off the railway walk, it became a long steep steady climb which zig zagged it’s way up

Every now and then a flash of an image came into my mind…this was one landmark that I remembered taking a photo of Sylvia just in this spot…

Another Robin entertained us for a few minutes on the wire fence, hopping in and out of view…

The sun dappled light and shade on the fells to our right

And sheep grazed happily in the field…

The continuous slope was a real challenge and I kept having to stop to gain energy for the next bit…

In the far far distance was Keswick…always a comforting sight to give me some bearing on where I am. I wasn’t that concerned today as I was with Sarah and she knew where she was going, but that’s why I love Walla Crag so much, because I can see my comforting landmark all the time….

But then our path took us up the continuing slope but with the fell on the left blocking out my reasurring landmark, all we could see was the fells to the left, right and straight ahead…..If I’d have been alone, I think I might have become disoriented and confused and it made me feel unsure of whether I’d manage this alone…🤗 I snapped away to keep my mind occupied 

Eventually Keswick came into view again and I immediately felt safer..

I kept thinking we were almost at the summit but it was one of those where as soon as you thought you’d reached the top, another climb came into view 🙄🤣

Finally we were there and what a view beneath us..

I zoomed right in and could see the back of Appletrees with Crow park in front

Sheep suddenly came running passed, adding to the view

Just a little further and we reached the bench I remember so well

….and to our right, the zig zag path that would take us down….

So many others were coming the opposite way to us and we realised we’d come the hard way 🙄…but we now had the downward bit, so it was a relief to be able to breathe properly again 🤣

I’d found it very hard and it was a relief to reach Fritz park. The sandwich shop was on the way back so I picked up my supper on the way back for a cuppa. As soon as we entered Appletrees, we could see the Christmas elves had been hard at work as the banisters were adorned with garlands and as I entered my room, the elves had also been there

Once we’d had a quick cuppa, it was time for Sarah and Catherine to go for their lake swim. I was going to look after Polly while they were in the water. 

It was just after 2pm and the sun was starting its descent as we passed by the boats

They swam out, their voices carrying words back to shore, I could see them looking at something

I turned and was shocked to see the launch heading their way. From shore it appeared to be heading straight for them

….but afterwards they told me it was miles away 🤪

Me and Polly watched on

Every now and then Polly would drop her ball allowing me to throw it in the water for her to have her swim

They soon headed back to shore and I left them to get dressed and for me to have a walk to Milenium stone. Along the bay, I skipped Friars Crag with the promise I’d go on my return as they’d be more chance of having to myself then.

Even though it had now turned cloudy, the sky was still a picture as we headed for sunset…

Happy that I’d made it to the stone

I headed back…as I reached the bay, I could see figures standing on Friars Crag and almost gave it a miss…but I just had to see if Sylvia would appear again…..as I reached the bench a couple were just leaving

“Kept it warm for you” as their response when they saw me standing behind them. I was then all alone.

“Are you there Sylvia?”

Once more the unthinkable happened and she appeared, this time, out of nowhere and hopped towards my feet and stood looking at me..

As I reached in my pocket she hopped onto the stone by the edge

We were chatting away, when suddenly, I could hear a family approaching and a dog came scurrying round me and the moment was gone…..I smiled to myself knowing there was always tomorrow and headed off home…….